


Out of my limit

by cottoncandyboys



Category: ONEUS (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Childhood Friends, M/M, Pining, and they were ROOMMATES, seemingly unrequited feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:40:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26573116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cottoncandyboys/pseuds/cottoncandyboys
Summary: Sharing a room with Hwanwoong sounds like a good idea until it isn't.
Relationships: Lee Keonhee/Yeo Hwanwoong
Comments: 10
Kudos: 64
Collections: WEUS Harvest Moon Fest





	Out of my limit

**Author's Note:**

> So i need to actually apologize first bcz i had to add just a little angst but it's not much, just enough! No hearts were actually broken in this story lol and sorry but there is literally no other character in this story aside from keonhee and hwanwoong, hwanwoong and keonhee idjdijdisjsisjsisk
> 
> This is the submission to prompt #067! Title taken from a 5sos song :3

It has always been the two of them. Keonhee and Hwanwoong, the inseparable duo of childhood best friends. So it's no surprise that they apply for the same university, both choosing the same major as well.

Obviously, they decide to share a room. It sounds like a very good idea, they can study together and it's better than sleeping in the same room with someone they just met, right?

Except that once everything is settled and they're _there_ , moving to the university dorms once their filling the papers and requesting to be each other's roommates is done and, much to their surprise, accepted easily - it seems that every term at least three students demand new roommates due to not getting along, so the staff is glad to comply to the request -, Keonhee realizes that maybe it doesn't sound like a very good idea, _at all_.

This realization hits him as they arrive in their assigned room. Keonhee looks at the place and it's small. There's just enough space for a desk, a bed and a small wardrobe for each on opposite sides and a bathroom with just a shower, toilet and sink. Hwanwoong enters the room without ceremony but Keonhee freezes at the door, feeling a shiver running down his spine and his hands getting clammy.

He's anxious.

The thing is, Keonhee has been in love with Hwanwoong since high school, probably even earlier than that, but he only truly acknowledged it when puberty was knocking on his door. Hwanwoong has always been cute - and Keonhee always liked to jokingly tease him about it since they were kids - but at sixteen, Hwanwoong was beautiful and Keonhee fell into infatuation fast and hard. Not just because of how Hwanwoong looked but also because of everything they've gone through, _together_.

And they've gone through a _lot_.

From childhood until now, they've been there for each other. When Hwanwoong was bullied in fourth grade for being shorter than everyone in their class, Keonhee stood up for him - nearly getting into fights - or the time Keonhee's old dog passed away right before they entered high school, Hwanwoong slept over to make sure he was alright. In a nutshell, they've gone through thick and thin and every little memory, as silly as it may be, is treasured by Keonhee.

And sure, the fact that he's seen Hwanwoong every day and that his best friend is probably one of the most caring people he knows influences a lot as well but it's more than that, and Keonhee doesn't know how to put his feelings into words. Now that he really, _really_ , registers the fact that he's going to see Hwanwoong every day for more than they are used to, the crippling anxiety that he's going to end up doing something stupid overwhelms him more than ever.

Keonhee pulls himself out of his thoughts with a shake of his head and stares at Hwanwoong, who happens to be distracted - already organizing his things - and has not noticed that Keonhee is still standing at the door. Heaving a sigh and recomposing himself, Keonhee enters his new room and closes the door slowly not to get any attention from his friend.

Instead of doing the wisest thing that is following Hwanwoong's actions and start organizing his belongings, Keonhee sits down on his bed and observes his friend. His mind drifts off somewhere else and Keonhee thinks to himself that he's screwed, truly screwed, because he doesn't know what's going to happen now that they're under the same roof and it scares him.

When Keonhee wakes up early the next morning, he remains in bed for a long time just staring at the ceiling. They have class only the next day, having decided to move to the dorms on a Saturday so they'll have enough time to prepare themselves, which means that today is Sunday. He turns to the side after a long time thinking to himself about many many things. His eyes are already used to the way the room is dark with just a hint of sunlight peeking from behind the curtains, so it's easy for him to see Hwanwoong's figure at the other side of the room.

He recalls yesterday, asking Hwanwoong out of curiosity why he claimed the bed next to the window instead of the other one. His friend's answer replays in his head - "because you don't like sleeping next to windows" - and Keonhee sighs, thinking again about how difficult this is going to be. Hwanwoong is too nice and considerate and Keonhee is very very weak, his heart beats faster at anything Hwanwoong does.

His thoughts float dangerously around impossible possibilities. There are just too many things that Keonhee wishes and he'd be lying if he says it's _only_ wishful thinking, because it's not. Everything with Hwanwoong feels so palpable because they've been together for so long that he can't help but hope. Keonhee has seen him at his best and at his worst, held his hand during difficult times and Hwanwoong has done exactly the same with him, just as earnestly. Keonhee is always thankful for that, for having such an amazing best friend, but he yearns for something more. He wants to hold his hand not because Hwanwoong is sad but because he can, wants to hug him whenever he feels like it, wants to shower him with all the love he feels pouring out of himself. Is that too much to ask?

The amount of time he stares at Hwanwoong's back is embarrassing, Keonhee snaps out of his trance when he notices his friend moving around in bed.

There's no use pretending to be asleep since Hwanwoong knows Keonhee doesn't have any problems waking up early, in fact, his body is so used that it's already automatic - but he doesn't know what to say if Hwanwoong questions him about it.

Keonhee yawns and stretches his long arms, glancing at his friend who's sitting up and rubbing his face.

"You're up early," Keonhee comments. Hwanwoong groans in response and sighs, messing his hair up.

"You're up late," he replies while yawning and stands up abruptly, stumbling slightly to the side but not falling down. "I'm hungry."

Hwanwoong is usually grumpy in the morning, Keonhee thinks it's weird that he's even communicating at this hour - he just checked on his phone and it's a little past nine.

"I'm gonna get changed and we can go somewhere for breakfast," Keonhee announces and quickly leaves his bed, grabbing a basic change of clothes and rushing into the bathroom.

Once inside it, he locks the door and puts a hand on his chest. His heartbeat is not normal and it's all because of Hwanwoong. He looks extremely cute when he's still sleepy, even cuter than usual. Even after being in love with him for so long - Keonhee's crushes used to last a week -, the way Hwanwoong affects him is still the same as when Keonhee joined the dots and concluded he liked his best friend.

He leans against the door and closes his eyes, Keonhee takes about a minute to steady his breathing and for his heart to go back to normal. By the time he exits the bathroom, changed out of his pajamas and the taste of mint in his mouth, Hwanwoong is ready as well. He's sitting on his bed and leaning against the wall, eyes closed and arms crossed.

"Shall we go?" Hwanwoong opens his eyes and Keonhee startles, jumping back and laughing when Hwanwoong stares at him in amusement.

"I thought you were sleeping," Keonhee explains, almost out of breath due to laughing so much, and stares at his friend, using the chance to admire his soft features and then he feels his stomach hurt - he doesn't know if it's hunger or because of Hwanwoong -, out of habit he touches it and remembers he is being observed.

"See, you're hungry. Let's go," Hwanwoong jumps out of the bed and stretches his arms, scrunched up nose and closed eyes - Keonhee thinks he's the cutest person he has ever seen. Both put on their shoes and Hwanwoong drags Keonhee out of their room by the wrist, his skin is warm.

Touching is not something unusual to them, they both are very physical when it comes to interacting with the other: hitting when laughing, tickling and poking when they want to be annoying and leaning against the other when they watch things together. Maybe all of this also contributes to the way Keonhee feels about his best friend, it's hard not to fall for him when Hwanwoong is always so affectionate.

Hwanwoong doesn't let go of his wrist, he taps his fingers against Keonhee's soft skin and sends electricity through his body, only letting go when they enter the café. The smile Hwanwoong sends him as he comments about the pastries on display blinds Keonhee, the small crinkles near his eyes is endearing and he really is breathtaking. All Keonhee manages to do as Hwanwoong talks is nod and think about how much he wants to circle his arms around his best friend's body.

Keonhee is doomed.

Keonhee's alarm goes off at half past seven. He set it up not to ring loud or else, Hwanwoong would jolt in surprise and spend the day with a grimace on his face.

He stays in bed for five more minutes, swallowing down the anxiety at the pit of his stomach due to classes starting today. He makes a mental checklist about all the things he supposes he needs for the day, to make sure that everything he got ready the previous night is enough. He's got his notebooks for the lectures he has in the morning and the one after lunch, his pencil case is full, his favorite bottle is ready to be filled with water and the book he is reading is safely tucked along with the notebooks.

Before he gets up from bed, he nearly has a heart attack when Hwanwoong's phone blasts a song and its owner literally jumps out of bed, hitting the light switch and blinding Keonhee who was not prepared for it.

"Turn it off!" Keonhee says, holding himself back from yelling - not to bother other people who are probably sleeping - and covering his eyes but peeking at his friend from between his fingers. Hwanwoong is clearly confused, looking around the room and finally grabbing his phone and turning the alarm off. He lets out a sigh of relief, Hwanwoong is probably so shaken that he forgets to be annoyed at being up early.

"Sorry," Hwanwoong mumbles and rubs his eyes. God, Keonhee is looking at him and Hwanwoong really is the cutest when he wakes up. His small frame looks even smaller on his oversized pajamas and Keonhee takes a deep breath before he stands up too, shaking away the thought of kissing Hwanwoong's sleepy self. "Did I wake you up?"

"No no," Keonhee dismisses it with a wave of his hand. "I was already awake, I was just creating the courage to get ready for classes."

"God, I'm so anxious," Hwanwoong jumps in place a little and walks towards Keonhee. Keonhee knows what Hwanwoong is going to do but it always catches him off guard. "Are you anxious too?" He asks and hugs Keonhee tight, as a reflex, Keonhee hugs him back. "Your heart is beating really fast, I can tell you're anxious too."

Oh, if only Hwanwoong knew why Keonhee's heart is beating fast like this.

Overall, Keonhee's first day in university goes quite well. Since they're both literature majors, they have exactly the same lectures to attend. It's a good thing since they've agreed that their shared love for reading, the fact that they can help each other study and do group projects together will hopefully make it an easier experience for them.

One thing for sure is bad for Keonhee: seeing Hwanwoong almost 24/7 is going to kill him before they graduate - he's been saying this to himself a lot and he's honestly getting annoyed at himself at this point. Maybe he's being dramatic but that's just how Keonhee is but he really should've seen this coming. He should've seen this coming because his mind is fast to bring up flashbacks of Keonhee's favorite moments with Hwanwoong and fabricate new ones that he craves that are hidden somewhere in himself.

He pushes those thoughts away before he freaks out and follows Hwanwoong into the library. They have decided to study for a few hours and discuss what they learned today. When he's focused, Keonhee forgets everything else and it's just him, Hwanwoong and the notes he took during class.

The first month passes by smoothly. Keonhee hasn't freaked out yet despite being more and more in love with Hwanwoong. Spending so much time with his best friend was bound to make his feelings grow stronger so Keonhee is not really surprised but he wishes he had been wrong.

The way his feelings grow even stronger urges him to actually tell Hwanwoong about them but it's never the right time. Besides, Keonhee retreats whenever the thought crosses his mind, it's like he knows it's a bad idea.

He doesn't want to ruin their friendship. He pushes the thought away and decides to deal with it some other time.

Despite this mindset, he dreams of Hwanwoong, his beautiful smile and endearing laugh. The way his eyes sparkle when he's happy and how he scrunches his nose when Keonhee is being absurd. He dreams of his everything and sometimes he wakes up with his heart pounding hard against his ribcage, the fantasy too real for him to handle.

They're in the middle of the term when Hwanwoong wakes up with a high fever and can't even manage to stand up from his bed. Keonhee is worried because Hwanwoong rarely gets sick but Hwanwoong says he's fine, that he's just going to skip classes until he feels better and rest.

"I'll lend you my notes, alright?" Keonhee says and gives his friend a glass of water. "Rest so you're better soon."

"Actually, I'm gonna start reading that book for our modern literature essay," he says, sitting up. Then Hwanwoong puts his pillow on his back so he can lean against the wall comfortably and then grabs the book that's next to his bed.

"Don't exaggerate," Keonhee warns and grabs his backpack. He looks back one last time to see if Hwanwoong is fine and leaves the room without making any sound.

He spends the whole day thinking about Hwanwoong, he usually does but he's still worried about his friend. Honestly, Keonhee wouldn't have minded staying behind to take care of him but he knows they should not miss a class, Keonhee is not really close to many of his classmates so it means he's not comfortable about asking for them to lend him notes.

He really should at least make acquaintances with some of these people he sees almost daily but he's too focused on Hwanwoong. He knows it's not a good thing to be so obsessed but Keonhee is dedicated and all he can do is pay attention to everything the professor says and write it down.

Keonhee does his best. By the end of the day, his hands are hurting because he took note of everything he could but he's pretty proud of himself. Keonhee and Hwanwoong usually merge their notes and fill each other's with what's missing so this time he had to make it up for the two of them.

Instead of going to the library, Keonhee goes back to the dorms to check up on Hwanwoong and make sure he's doing alright. Earlier he had passed by to drop him some food when it was lunchtime but his friend still looked sick, a little paler than the usual. He took the opportunity to leave the notes he took during literary history and Hwanwoong looked grateful.

Quietly, Keonhee enters the room and sees that Hwanwoong is asleep. He locks the door and puts his bag on top of the desk, opening it up and taking out all the notebooks.

Hwanwoong stirs and turns around, he peeks at Keonhee with one eye and yawns, arms stretching above his head.

"What time is it?" He asks and Keonhee checks his phone.

"Just a little past four," he replies and Hwanwoong sighs, running a hand through his hair and sitting up. "Are you feeling better?"

"A little," he takes a deep breath and rests his head on his hands. "But I'm not really sure if I'll be good enough to go to class tomorrow, I'm still feeling weird."

Keonhee really wants to hug him tight and rub his back but he doesn't want to make Hwanwoong uncomfortable, especially when he's unwell.

"The best thing is resting a lot so you'll recover fully," Keonhee says and Hwanwoong nods, lifting his head and staring right at Keonhee, Keonhee gulps and tries to ignore the butterflies that are going feral in his stomach. "And don't worry, I'm copying everything and we'll do well on our finals."

"Thank you," Hwanwoong smiles when he says that and Keonhee's insides melt. The smile is so sweet and so familiar, yet it makes his heart beat a lot faster than it should. "I really don't know what I'd do without you."

Oh well, Keonhee is the one who should be saying that. The way Hwanwoong says it to him so easily makes Keonhee see stars, a smile unconsciously makes its way to his lips. He quickly pretends to be more tired than he really is and lies down on his bed, facing the wall so Hwanwoong doesn't see how dumb he looks with the wide smile still there and a deep blush on his cheeks.

Hwanwoong recovers in three days and Keonhee is extremely happy to see him well and healthy again. Right now they're in the library, both finishing the books they're supposed to use to write a critical review that's due next week for one of their classes.

Hwanwoong finishes first and takes notes while Keonhee is on the last pages.

"What if we just take a break?" Keonhee suggests when he puts the book down, Hwanwoong looks up at him and blinks in confusion. "This book is really heavy, it tired me out."

Before Hwanwoong can answer, a girl approaches their table and Keonhee recognizes her from one of their classes. She taps Hwanwoong's shoulder and startles him, he had his back turned to her so that's why he's surprised.

"Hi?" Hwanwoong says awkwardly when he sees the girl and she puts a piece of paper on his hand before running away. Hwanwoong exchanges a look with Keonhee before checking the paper. "Uh…"

"What is it?" Keonhee asks curious but already having a hunch on what it is about.

"A phone number," Hwanwoong flushes red when he says that and Keonhee feels his body go slack. He has a million things going on in his mind and one of them is the way Hwanwoong is blushing. "I'm throwing it away, I don't even know that girl."

Keonhee watches as his friend crumples the paper and puts it on the bin that's right next to the table they're using.

They do take a break after that. They gather their things and leave the library, deciding to buy some drinks from the vending machine that's just outside.

"That was so _awkward_ ," Hwanwoong comments and sips his iced tea while Keonhee is busy distracting himself with his coke. He hums in response but he's really just far away in his head that he tunes out what Hwanwoong is saying. He thinks about many things but his mind seems to enjoy torturing him so it replays the exact same scene a million times, Hwanwoong blushing because of the paper the girl gave him. Hwanwoong gets embarrassed easily but it's not usually because someone is showing interest in him, Keonhee feels a little angry and jealous. These feelings are ugly, he knows it, but he's not really rational when it comes to how he feels about Hwanwoong.

He blinks and notices that Hwanwoong is moving his hand up and down in front of his face.

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay?" Hwanwoong asks and Keonhee feels his chest tightening at the tone of his friend's voice. He calms down a little upon seeing the concern on Hwanwoong's soft features. "I was talking to you but you spaced out and didn't seem to be listening to me."

"I'm sorry," Keonhee gulps and stares at his hands, tapping his foot out of nervousness. "I'm fine, I guess I'm just tired," he sighs and ignores his anxiety. "What were you saying?"

"I asked you, uh, how do you know you like someone?" Hwanwoong rubs his nape as soon as he says it and Keonhee nearly drops his drink. He's speechless, despite being friends for almost their whole lives, they've never really touched this subject. "Forget it."

"Why are you asking?" Keonhee questions not to make the situation even more awkward than it already is. Hwanwoong looks sheepish and Keonhee wonders if he's asking it because of what happened earlier with the girl.

"Nothing, I was just curious," Keonhee gets as reply and Hwanwoong gulps down the remaining tea and throws the can on the trash bin by his side. "It's a stupid question, let's forget I asked it."

They don't touch the subject again and decide to go back to their room. Keonhee just wants to lie down and sleep, hoping to forget this day.

The thing with living with Hwanwoong is that Keonhee is going insane, more than before. He's really on the verge of just confessing his feelings and hoping Hwanwoong is going to take it well and reject him without breaking off their friendship. But it _still_ never seems like the right time, it's like a signal telling Keonhee that, instead of confessing, he should just move on and never let his friend know about these feelings.

It hurts.

It hurts because he can't stop hoping. He has been known for holding a positive attitude in most situations but whenever he thinks about telling Hwanwoong about his feelings, he's discouraged and he keeps replaying different 'what if's in his head.

What if Hwanwoong hates him if he confesses? What if Keonhee ruins everything by freaking out? What if he messes everything up?

What if…?

"Have you ever liked anyone?" Hwanwoong asks Keonhee one day, totally out of the blue. They're both on their respective beds, Keonhee is reading a book and Hwanwoong is on his phone. The question takes Keonhee by surprise and he feels a bitter taste on his mouth.

"I guess," Keonhee replies without taking his eyes off his book. "You?"

Silence.

Keonhee turns his head to look at Hwanwoong who's silent and sees that his friend is staring at the ceiling.

"I don't know."

"You don't know?" Keonhee asks, a little taken aback, and the memory of Hwanwoong's question from last week comes back to him. "Is that why you asked me _that_?"

"Yeah," Hwanwoong replies and doesn't take his eyes off the ceiling, he's staring at it as though it is the most fascinating thing in the world.

"Are you still wondering about it?"

"Only if you're willing to answer," Hwanwoong says and Keonhee takes a deep breath. He closes his eyes and gulps, thinking to himself about all the things he feels for his best friend and not believing he's having this talk with him.

"I think it differs for each person but," Keonhee lies down on his bed, licks his lips and stares at the ceiling just like Hwanwoong. "I'd say that you feel happy when you're with the person you like. You think of them a lot and things remind you of this person. You get nervous around them and your heart beats faster. You want to hold their hand, kiss them and call them yours. You want to see them happy, their happiness is your happiness."

"Did you feel that?" Hwanwoong asks, curiosity in his voice.

"I did," _I do_ , Keonhee thinks and he feels his stomach being dominated by butterflies. "Do you think you like someone?"

Hwanwoong sighs out loud and Keonhee turns to look at him again.

"Maybe, I'm not sure," Hwanwoong answers and Keonhee's heart breaks a little when he hears those words. He feels his eyes sting and he turns back to the ceiling, he forces himself not to cry.

He wishes Hwanwoong were talking about him.

After that conversation with Hwanwoong, they don't mention it again. Keonhee is thankful for that.

He's in the library alone - Hwanwoong had an appointment to get his eyesight checked today -, in the middle of copying Hwanwoong's notes when he sees that his notebook has a page that's been ripped off. He doesn't remember doing that.

Keonhee takes a closer look at what's left of the page and his heart drops. It has little drawings on it and he then remembers what was in it and he is _sure_ he is not the one that took it off.

Almost having a panic attack in the middle of the library, he shoves all his belongings into his bag and flees back to his room. The worst case scenario is that Hwanwoong saw it, felt disturbed and threw the page away but Keonhee is not about to dwell on it right now.

His hands are shaking as he opens the door and he stops when he sees Hwanwoong sitting on his bed.

"Hey!" Hwanwoong greets him with a smile but Keonhee is so anxious he doesn't smile back. "Is everything okay?" Hwanwoong's happy expression falls when he sees the way Keonhee is distraught.

His head hurts, Keonhee also feels his legs get a little wobbly but he does his best to enter the room and at least get to his bed before losing it.

It doesn't work, he almost collapses in the middle of the room.

"Are you okay?" Hwanwoong rushes to help Keonhee to his bed and grabs his arm, helping him sit down. "What happened? You look like you saw a ghost."

No words leave Keonhee's mouth. Instead, he grabs his bag and opens it, taking his notebooks out and getting the one with the missing page. He opens it where it was supposed to be and points at it, looking up to meet Hwanwoong's eyes. He's on the verge of tears.

"Oh," is the only thing Hwanwoong lets out and Keonhee then knows it was his friend who took it. "I'm sorry."

"I-" Keonhee tries to speak but he feels the tears finally welling up on the corner of his eyes and he blinks, letting them run down his cheeks. Now that's what Keonhee didn't want to happen, he didn't want to cry in front of Hwanwoong but he can't stop the tears. He's always been the one who cried easily and this time it's not different.

He feels his bed dipping and Hwanwoong putting a hand on his.

"Why are you crying?" Hwanwoong whispers and rubs circles on the back of Keonhee's hand. That only gets Keonhee sobbing harder and he pulls his hand away from Hwanwoong's and covers his face, shaking his head but not saying anything.

Keonhee feels Hwanwoong standing up, he also hears the sound of a drawer being opened. He wipes the tears with the sleeve of his shirt and, although a little blurry, he observes as Hwanwoong takes something from his drawer and comes back to his side.

"Here," Hwanwoong mumbles and puts a folded paper on Keonhee's palm. Blinking the rest of the tears away, Keonhee stares at the paper and unfolds it. "I'm sorry I took it without asking."

The paper is the missing page from Keonhee's notebook, it's not crumpled or anything and, honestly, he's confused.

The paper is basically Hwanwoong's name with a bunch of hearts around it and Keonhee feels his head spinning. He pushes it back into Hwanwoong's hands and turns his body so he's not facing his friend.

"I thought you wanted it back?" Hwanwoong sounds confused and god, Keonhee is so embarrassed right now, he doesn't know where to hide.

"Why are you acting so normal?" Keonhee asks and rubs his eyes, feeling as they're already hurting for all the crying he did. "More important, why didn't you just throw it away?"

Hwanwoong laughs and Keonhee feels ashamed, hoping this ends soon. He doesn't even know where he's getting this courage from, this unexpected courage to talk to his friend about this subject he has being avoiding endlessly.

"But why would I throw it away?"

"Because it's disgusting," Keonhee says and then he flinches in surprise when he feels Hwanwoong's hand on his shoulder.

"Why is it disgusting?" Hwanwoong asks and seems to be silently asking Keonhee to turn back to him. Now that Hwanwoong probably knows about how he feels, Keonhee is creating more courage to just come clean about his feelings for him, let it all out and get over with it. He knows his friend is too nice to freak out over this and be rude to him. "Keonhee?"

 _Alright_ , he tells himself and turns back to Hwanwoong, staring at his friend's confused face. He knows he's a whole mess right now, his eyes are probably red and puffy - he's a messy crier - but he can't help but notice how beautiful Hwanwoong is.

"Because I'm gay, Woongie," he says and waits for Hwanwoong's reaction, his friend furrows his eyesbrows and tilts his head to the side. "And I like you."

"That's not disgusting," Hwanwoong says and Keonhee takes a deep breath, many times. "You're not disgusting."

"But I'm in love with you an-"

"I know," Hwanwoong says firmly. "And as I said, that's definitely _not_ disgusting, alright? Stop being homophobic with yourself."

Keonhee doesn't know what to say, he's surprised at how Hwanwoong is taking this and he's at a loss of words. He knew Hwanwoong wouldn't judge him or anything but it still takes him off guard.

"I think we should have had this talk way earlier, during high school," Hwanwoong says and Keonhee nods slowly, just listening. "I know about you, have known for some time actually, but I didn't want to force you into coming out to me, that's definitely _not_ what best friends do, and I also didn't know you liked me till some months ago."

"When did you even…." Keonhee manages to say, too stunned by the situation.

"That time I got sick." Hwanwoong explains and Keonhee can't help but gasp.

"That was more than five months ago!" He exclaims and looks disturbed at the information.

"I'm sorry, I was figuring some things out," Hwanwoong looks sorry and sighs, staring down at the paper that's on his hands. "You know, I never told you but I'm pan."

" _What_?" Keonhee wasn't prepared to go through all of this today and the more Hwanwoong speaks, the more he loses it.

"I've been meaning to share this with you but I didn't know how to bring it up. Anyway, I'm pansexual and I was figuring out if I liked you too," Hwanwoong explains calmly. "That incident with the girl at the library got me thinking. I mean, I had been thinking ever since I saw this but it made me realize that I didn't know what it felt like to be in love with someone, that's why I asked."

"You're an asshole," Keonhee jokes and pushes him.

Hwanwoong stares in disbelief. "How am I an asshole"?

"You're making me anxious! Just say you don't like me back."

Keonhee bites his upper lip and closes his eyes, waiting for the blow.

"But that's not true," Hwanwoong says softly and Keonhee snaps his eyes open and turns to his friend. "I did a lot of thinking these past months and I figured that I like you too. I actually think I've liked you for a long time. Hearing those things you said about liking someone, I realized I always felt that. I just thought this kind of love was a normal thing to feel for your best friend."

Keonhee feels his eyes watering again and Hwanwoong laughs.

"You're such a big baby," Hwanwoong pulls Keonhee into a hug and lets him sob on his shoulder.

It takes a few minutes for Keonhee to run out of tears and finally recompose himself. When Hwanwoong is sure that Keonhee is not going to cry anymore, he goes back to his bed and lets Keonhee sleep, he needs it.

The moment Keonhee opens his eyes, he feels the aftermath of crying so much. His eyes are even puffier than they were last night.

He checks the time and is surprised when he sees it's past ten. He never oversleeps, even on weekends. He then turns his head to the side and sees that Hwanwoong is awake and on his phone.

"Morning," he mumbles and gets his friend's attention. Hwanwoong puts his phone down and smiles at him, Keonhee feels his breath getting caught on his throat. "Did yesterday really happen?"

"You crying your eyes out and then sleeping like a rock? Definitely," Hwanwoong laughs at the outraged look on Keonhee's face. "Are you hungry? I think we can still find somewhere that's serving breakfast, that café a few blocks from here has those nice pancakes."

Keonhee nods and leaves the bed, getting changed quickly and coming back to an already dressed up Hwanwoong. He looks cute with his denim jacket and striped turtleneck, it's one of Keonhee's favorite outfits of his.

"Let's go?" Keonhee calls and Hwanwoong pockets his phone, rushing to get to his friend's side.

They're leaving the dorms building when Hwanwoong stops and grabs his arm.

"Wait," he says and Keonhee turns to stare at him. "Does it mean you're my boyfriend now?"

Keonhee flusters but glares at Hwanwoong.

"Take me out on a date first."

Hwanwoong nods and laughs, then they resume their walking.

"Can I at least hold your hand?" Hwanwoong asks shyly, Keonhee is surprised at the blush on his friend's cheeks and the sheepish smile.

Keonhee offers Hwanwoong his hand without a word and intertwines their fingers, it feels like home. He's reminded of the many times they've held hands and Keonhee can't help but smile. They're holding hands not as friends but as people who have feelings for one another, it's better than all Keonhee could have ever imagined. His heart is soaring and he squeezes Hwanwoong's hand and gets a squeeze back in reassurance.

Keonhee's heart finally feels light.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, kudos and comments are appreciated 🥺🥺
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/absolutehaechan)


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